San Mateo County is counting ballots now

The Daily Journal (San Mateo), Michelle Durand, 10/26/12.  "Public invited to watch opening of ballots." 

What kind of signature is that?

"Starting today, the public can see for itself the opening of the county’s first mail-in ballots for the Nov. 6 election as officials begin the arduous task of verifying if each vote is valid for counting. 

With 55.6 percent of San Mateo County voters routinely preferring to vote by mail rather than at a physical polling location, the seven-day jump on mail ballot processing gives the Elections Office a significant head start on compiling the first Election Night results. Mark Church, the county’s chief elections officer and assessor-county clerk-recorder, said the final week also gives the public a peek into how an election comes together.

Alongside the absentees, the office is still processing new voter registrations, training workers and packing up equipment for the 343 precincts. “This is a very exciting time to visit,” Church said.

...  As of Oct. 15, San Mateo County has 348,218 registered voters. As with the state, online registration has taken off in San Mateo County particularly among the younger demographic. As of Friday, Oct. 12, the Elections Office reported 10,232 people had registered online. Of those, 2,538 were between ages 18 and 24 and 3,069 were between 25 and 34."  Read Article.

Posted by Kathy Meeh